Our projects

Sustainable development requires transversal skills and participative methodologies to involve students in the ongoing social and environmental transformations. With this project we want to activate a new educating community to be ecological, informed and aware. We do so by proposing a participatory educational model focused on protection of biodiversity and environmental sustainability.  It is what we […]

Wetlands are really delicate and vulnerable ecosystems, mainly threatened  by human activities: pollution, drainage, reclamation and over-exploitation. The Po Valley, one of the most endangered areas, includes some “isolated” natural areas that are extremely important for biodiversity, especially in correspondence with large rivers. In this context, well preserved humid areas are key resources to ensure that […]

Food security, lack of quality educational opportunities, social marginalisation and lack of stimulation for the young generation: these are the main problems that the Chaldean Christian community in Lebanon has to face every day. It is exactly on this front that we have decided to intervene, together with our partners. With the SALAM project, we […]

The Shouf Biosphere Reserve is the largest protected area in Lebanon and of the Middle East’s entire Mediterranean area. Here, the lack of water resources due to climate change is a serious problem: according to studies conducted by our partner Al-Shouf Cedar Society in 2017 and 2018, annual precipitation decreased by 43% on average over […]

Informally named after of its typical yellowish horseshoe-shaped patch, the "sun bear" is one of the rarest species of tropical bear in Southeast Asia, classified as threatened by IUCN Red List (International Union for Conservation of Nature). Protecting this species and its habitats in Rakhine and Sagaing areas is one of our biggest challenges. The […]

In the Ibo District, there are 12 schools with 3617 students, but most of these buildings were damaged by the devastation of Cyclone Kenneth, which hit the north of the country on 25 April 2019. After the recent reconstruction of the school in Quirambo, we continue our efforts in the field to rehabilitate public buildings […]

Roadkill, meaning the impact between wildlife and vehicles, keeps killing people and animals. This is the reason why in every Italian province an estimated number of 15,000 animals die every year. 81% of the reported victims are mammals (deers, wild boars, badgers, foxes and roe deers) hit while trying to reach places where they can […]

The first phase of a long-term cooperation programme between Istituto Oikos and the Shouf Biosphere Reserve (Lebanon) began on the  13th of October 2017. The objective of the initiative, initially supported by the Beirut headquarters of the Italian Agency for Development and Cooperation, and later by the MAVA Foundation, the Mohammed bin Zayed Foundation and the Prince […]

Climate change poses the survival of several species at serious risk and forces more and more people to leave their home. It is fundamental to understand that everyone has an impact on the planet and contributes to the increase of the seriousness of global phenomena. The consciousness and the respect for the world we live […]

Tanintharyi Region, an area with a 900 km-long coast, pristine beaches, huge mangrove forests and coral reefs, has a recognized global value for its biodiversity. Deforestation, uncontrolled fishing and land grabbing because of touristic resorts construction cause serious damage to natural resources on which not only local subsistence economy, but also tourism potential, resilience capabilities […]

WILDFIRES IN THE MEDITERRANEAN: A HUMAN-RELATED DISASTER Scientists estimate that in the Mediterranean region along the 21st century the total burned area from wildfires is projected to increase by 40-100%. One of the main causes of wildfires is inadequate land management leading to accumulation of dry biomass and landscape simplification. The abandonment of rural areas […]

We are working to protect 15,000 hectares of savannah and two community forests by training 20 forest rangers, in order to reduce illegal activities such as tree cutting and poaching, and 20 women rangers guardians. This is a rangeland restoration programme (50 hectares in total) led by women. It foresees simple and replicable solutions such […]

In the wide rangelands in Northern Tanzania, climatic phenomena are no longer predictable: long-lasting droughts and the severe reduction of water resources are a serious threat to the survival of the Maasai community and its livestock, still  the only income resource for the inhabitants of this territory today. Local economy, in fact, is almost entirely […]

The Shouf Biosphere Reserve in Lebanon has a very significant environmental, economic and cultural value. It covers 5% of the country surface, however, it is the largest protected area not only in Lebanon but in the whole of the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern area. It also constitutes a huge source of wealth for the population […]

It all starts with training. We provide key stakeholders in each Reserve with effective and up-to-date tools for proper planning and management of agroforestry and pastoral landscapes. We are also committed to restoring agroforestry and pastoral lands through large-scale environmental management interventions: rebuilding stone terraces, developing composting units using local farmers’ agricultural waste, implementing fire […]

In Lombardy many natural environments are interrupted by great infrastructures and are facing critical conservation situations. Habitat fragmentation and environmental decline limit the chance of animals to move and reproduce, find nourishment, water and shelter, with serious consequences on the ecosystems’ balance. River basins are areas of great relevance for biodiversity: they are crucial places […]

The Quirimbas National Park, in Northern Mozambique, hides a treasure: Ibo Island, rich in biodiversity and characterized by an artistic and cultural heritage made of antique colonial architecture, like the Fortaleza de São João Batista. Yet, the tourists that visit this remote paradise are still a few and the community and the local institutions lack in […]

Biodiversity supports our ability to produce food and services, increases resilience to climate change, and enables production systems to adapt to emerging environmental challenges. However, today it is severely threatened, in the agri-food sector as well. Of the approximately 6,000 species of plants grown for food, only 9 make up 66% of total production. World […]

In the Quirimbas Archipelago (Cabo Delgado), one of the poorest areas of Mozambique, there is no more balance between man and environment. Its extraordinary natural heritage is threatened by overfishing and the negative effects of climate change. The local population, traditionally made of fishermen, finds it hard to establish alternative sources of income. The sanitary […]

The most important site in Italy for the species is located in the Ticino Valley Park of Lombardy, both within and in the surroundings of the Natura 2000 Special Area of Conservation (SAC) “Paludi di Arsago”. More than half of the Italian spadefoot breeding sites in this area is located outside the SAC, without any […]

Lampi National Marine Park contains globally recognized naturalistic richness and cultural diversity. More than 2.500 people now live within the park’s boundaries. These include the Moken population, the ‘sea gypsies’, who cut through the Andaman Sea for centuries before settling here. The survival of local communities mainly depends on the resources that the sea has […]

The survival of Maasai communities living in the Natron-Nguruman area, between Kenya and Tanzania, depends almost entirely on livestock. The coexistence between the communities of shepherds and predators that live in these territories is thus complicated. With this project we work closely with the communities to find the most appropriate solutions to mitigate and prevent […]

With the PURE project, we tackle the most urgent challenges related to uncontrolled urbanization: access to clean and safe water, environmental degradation, poverty, and gender inequality. We do this by enhancing the services provided by local ecosystems, working across five key areas.   1.    Improvement of sanitation services. We rehabilitate wells, train local authorities on […]

On the 25th of April 2019, Cyclone Kenneth hit the northern part of Mozambique and destroyed whole villages of the Quirimbas archipelago. From the beginning, we have been working on the frontline to support local communities, who lost their homes, and to provide them with drinkable water, food and personal hygiene products. On Ibo District's […]

Training and activation: the heart of the project Thanks to our network of partners, we engage 750 young people in educational activities at both national and international levels, including climate awareness workshops, leadership training, advocacy activities, and international exchanges. In Italy and Slovenia, students participate in National Youth Workshops—training days focused on understanding climate change, […]

It doesn't matter if you live in the city or in the mountains: the plastic, in any case, reaches the coasts. Italy is first in Europe and among the first in the world for the consumption of plastic bottles: every day Italians use 32 million bottles of mineral water. It is essential to take action […]

In Metuge and Mieze municipalities live around 60.000 people – 42% of whom younger than 15 years old – mostly devoted to corn, cassava, sorghum, rice, beans and tomatoes production, with no mechanical means and implementing inadequate techniques. Junk food spreading and consumption contributes to the loss of culinary traditions and damages not only people […]